


Watching

by kinneyb



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: M/M, i know it's a slow start but it will eventually be morgan/reid, i'm trying to keep it kinda realistic maybe... probably not but i'm trying, just stick with me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-18
Updated: 2015-05-21
Packaged: 2018-03-31 03:21:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3962557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kinneyb/pseuds/kinneyb
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Usually Reid is the one getting the short end of the stick. But for once Morgan will know what it's like being targeted and stalked.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning

Reid woke up to the sound of his cellphone going off. A usual occurrence.

He groggily glanced over at his clock and stared at the flashing numbers with a blank look. He never got calls so early in the morning unless they were from Hotch. He threw his legs over the side of his bed, stretched, and then grabbed his phone from the bedside table.

As expected, the caller ID showed Hotch's name.

Placing the phone against his ear, he tiredly said “hello, it’s Reid.”

Hotch didn't bother saying hello back. He simply cleared his throat. “We need you down here as soon as possible.”

Realizing the urgency in his voice, Reid quickly blinked away his tiredness.

Hotch always sounded urgent when there was a new case but this was different.

Something wasn't right. 

Reid felt his stomach erupt with butterflies - and not the good kind. He gripped the phone tightly, hoping maybe he was wrong. Maybe he was overthinking the tone of Hotch’s voice. Hotch was a serious person by nature after all. And he definitely had a tendency of overthinking things.

"What is it?” he asked, already out of bed and yanking on his clothes.

He nearly tripped over himself in the process and decided rushing might not be the best thing right now. He needed to keep calm. Slowly, he continued getting dressed.

“There’s been a situation - “

Reid could tell Hotch was struggling to keep his voice steady by the shakiness of it.

Hotch never got unsettled unless it was something _bad_.

Suddenly Reid felt like he could puke. He placed a hand over his stomach.

Something involving one of them.

“ - involving Morgan.”

“Morgan? What happened?” Reid asked immediately, his palms growing wet with sweat. He had a complicated relationship with Morgan. In one way, they were like brothers - constantly pulling pranks and teasing each other. But they were also undeniably close, good friends who’d do anything to protect the other. Or at least he liked to think so.

His head pounded at the thought of something happening to him.

There was a short pause before Hotch finally spoke again.

“Let’s wait until you get here, okay?”

Hotch ended the call and Reid shakily placed his phone aside.

Thoughts ran through his mind like a tornado. Rapidly with no clear end in sight. Swallowing the lump that had formed in the back of his throat during the call, he pulled on his shoes and grabbed his gun.

He tried reasoning with himself.

_There’s no point in overreacting when you don’t even know the details,_ he thought as he started for the door but regardless of what he thought - regardless of logic and reason - his body was reacting differently. His palms were now drenched with sweat and his breathing was uneven.

Reid didn't waste another second. He rushed out the door.

* * *

 

The worry he’d felt during the call eased a bit when he arrived and saw Morgan sitting in the conference room. He looked fine physically, no outward injuries, but that was where it stopped.

Physically, he looked fine. Mentally, maybe not.

Morgan was sitting with his feet planted firmly on the ground, his eyes narrowed in what could arguably be a glare. Injured or not, he had something distracting him.

Reid was seconds away from approaching him, his hand hovering in the air a mere few inches above his shoulder, when Hotch came through the door and walked straight to the front of the room.

Reid quickly pulled his hand back.

“Since everyone is here, we can begin now. Please take a seat.”

Reid nodded and sat down near Morgan, still staring at him.

Reid had seen Morgan with all kinds of expressions in the past but never before had he seen _that_ expression on his face. Truthfully, it frightened him. He didn't like not being able to read Morgan; the man he claimed to know so well.

Hotch placed a piece of paper on the table but kept most of it covered with the palm of his hand as he began talking in his usual voice; calm and collected. That was why he was the leader, of course, because he could stay calm no matter what.

"Around six in the morning, Morgan heard a knock at his door.”

Everyone glanced at Morgan. Nobody was necessarily discreet about it.

Reid watched as Morgan moved in his chair like he was uncomfortable with the attention, which was so unlike him it almost made Reid explode with worry. He never had a problem with attention. If anything, Morgan yearned for it. He craved it.

Finally Reid looked away from him and focused his gaze back on Hotch.

"He said when he opened it, he saw nothing but a note taped to the door.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Hotch moved his hand and revealed the piece of paper. Reid peered at the paper with a curious glint in his eyes, reading the short message written on it within seconds.

Once finished, he narrowed his eyes, surprised by the message.

_“Watch your back. You’re the first of many,_ ” Hotch repeated.

Reid opened his eyes full again. "A threat?”

JJ interrupted then, crossing her legs. “Why would someone target Morgan?”

Reid opened his mouth with a smack of his lips. “Maybe - “

Without saying a word, Hotch flipped the paper over and Reid abruptly went silent, his eyes widening. On the other side was a handmade collage of photos of Morgan. Some were candid shoots, others weren’t. His eyes continued examining the collage until finally he saw a picture where Morgan was showing a bit too much skin and he flushed, looking away.

Out of the corner of his eye, Reid saw Morgan let out an exasperated sigh before resting his head in his hands. Now that he was examining him closer, Reid couldn't help noticing just how tired Morgan looks.

He had bags under his eyes, some stubble lining his face.

"But there’s another part that’s sticking out,” Hotch continued, flipping the paper back over and pointing at the second part of the message. “First of many indicates Morgan’s only the beginning.”

JJ pursed her lips. "Do you think he might be stalking other FBI agents, too?”

“Possibly,” Hotch responded right away. He'd already considered the possibility. “As for now, Morgan will be under protective custody.”

Morgan groaned, burying his face deeper in his hands. He wasn’t the type who liked being protected. Everyone knew that.

“Someone needs to be with him at all times. There’s no telling what might happen if he’s alone,” Hotch explained, ignoring the obvious displeasure from Morgan. “We have no idea who this stalker is or what he plans to do.“

He paused for a moment.

"On top of this, we also have a case in Florida. Tampa, Florida.” Hotch glanced at Morgan and hesitated. There was no secret what he was thinking. "And I think - “

Morgan looked up and his right hand, curled in a fist, landed on the table with an unexpected thud. Reid scooted away from the table, startled by the action but not at all surprised.

Morgan would never go down without a fight.

“I’m not gonna let some stalker get in the way of my job, Hotch. I’m going.”

Hotch stared at him, their eyes locked together. Morgan wasn't intimidated and he didn't back down. Not after a second or a minute. Finally a quiet sigh escaped Hotch’s lips. “Fine, but you have to promise to be at your best.”

Morgan gave a confident nod. “That won’t be a problem.”

Reid watched Morgan’s face closely as Hotch gestured for JJ to begin the briefing. He unsurprisingly looked angry. Not that anyone could blame him right now. He had a reason to be angry.

“Tampa, Florida,” JJ started, pulling up a few photos on the screen behind her. “Three men have gone missing in the past two weeks. The first two were found drowned in hotels. The last one, Josh Smith, has yet to be found.”

Reid obversed the photos. “What is that?” he asked after a moment, pointing at a small mark present on both of the victims. JJ changed the photos; now closeups of the faces of the men. “Both of them have a burn on their face.”

“Maybe it’s a signature,” Morgan concluded.

The burns weren’t in the same place (one man had a burn under his nose, the other a burn under his lips) but they were shaped the same; perfectly round like the end of a cigarette. Reid furrowed his brows. “The burns look like they could've possibly come from a cigarette.”

Rossi shifted in his chair. “So there’s a good chance our unsub is a smoker?”

“It’s not a lot,” Hotch said, shoulders rolling in a shrug. “But at least it’s something. The Tampa police are waiting for us at the last two crime scenes. Morgan and Reid will go check them out, Rossi and I will go talk to the witnesses who found the bodies.”

JJ clicked off the screen. “I’ll call Garcia and get some more details on the victims.”


	2. The Believed End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just when they think the case is over and they can relax, everything goes wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also if you want to send me any Morgan/Reid prompts or requests, you totally can! Just send me a message on my blog at korrmin.tumblr.com and I'll most likely write it if it's within my abilities.

Reid fought with the idea of approaching Morgan on the plane. Finally he decided there was no harm in checking on him and sat down across from Morgan. Slowly, Morgan looked up from the folder he’d been reading for the past ten or twenty minutes.

“Ah - “ Reid sucked in air, regretting his decision already. “Are you okay?”

Of course it was a dumb question. Who would be okay after finding out they’re being stalked? But it was like Morgan understood what he meant; his intentions. He forced a smile and nodded, closing the folder.

“I… I’m here for you,” Reid continued awkwardly, sheepishly messing with his shaggy brown strands of hair. “We all are.”

Morgan’s smile widened a bit, seeming somewhat more genuine. “I know, kid.”

Before Reid could say more - and he had a lot more he could say about the situation, JJ stood up. “Garcia just called. The last two victims definitely had something in common.” She cleared her throat. "They both used the same dating website. It's  a new site, it seems, only came out a few months ago."

“Then there’s a good chance the unsub found them on there?” Reid inquired.

Reid caught sight of Morgan as he sighed and leaned back in his seat, focusing his gaze on JJ. He felt better now that the attention wasn't on him, Reid could tell.

“What about the third victim?” Morgan asked.

JJ nodded. “Our most recent victim, Josh, joined the website two days before he disappeared. It's called Love for All."

"Morgan,” Hotch started, peering at the agent. “After you finish with Reid at the crime scenes, contact Garcia and see if you can get the name of the person who created this website.” He reached up, rubbing at his temples. He was probably fighting a headache or maybe just mere tiredness. “He most likely knows something about the victims - we just can’t guess what yet.”

* * *

 

The first hotel was undeniably a shabby place for cheap sex and drug exchanges. Morgan entered the hotel followed by Reid. The police led them to the room, explaining the situation - the way the body was positioned, any important details. The head of the police, a young man, did most of them explaining though with his underlings just agreeing with nods and mumbles.

"The body was found on the bed," he started, gesturing in the direction of the messy unmade bed. "But he was killed in the bathtub, I think, considering the cause of death, and also the - " his eyes flickered down, staring at the trail of burns in the carpet starting from the outside of the bathroom and ending at the foot of the bed.

Reid's eyes flashed with a mix of anger and irritation. "Why wasn't that put in the report?"

Morgan reached out and squeezed his shoulder. He was upset for a reason. That was most certainly an important clue. He gave a smile and glanced at the officer. "Did you guys not notice it or - "

"My men thought it might not have anything to do with the murder," the officer replied. "I mean, a lot of people smoke around here."

Reid fought rolling his eyes. "And that explains a trail of burns in the carpet leading from the spot where the body was killed to the spot where the body was left?"

"Sorry, sir," Morgan quickly interjected before a fight could start, squeezing Reid's shoulder tighter. "We didn't get much sleep on the way here." He slowly began releasing his grip on Reid's shoulder. "If you want, you can wait outside while we take a look around. Fresh eyes and everything."

The officer nodded. "Of course, let me know if you need anything." He turned around and left through the door, letting it shut behind him.

Now with it being just the two of them, Morgan glanced at Reid, raising a curious eyebrow. "Come on, pretty boy, I get that you're irritated - I am, too, honestly - but you can't just take it out on random people." He put on a smile, gently tapping Reid's shoulder with a fist. "Is everything okay? You can tell me if something's up."

He didn't get it. Reid couldn't understand how Morgan was so calm. He was being stalked, hunted maybe, and he was pretending like it was just another normal day on the job. It wasn't. Reid breathed out shakily. "I'm fine," he lied, brushing some strands of hair out of his face. "Let's just look around."

The room was so small the entire search only lasted about five minutes. Once finished with searching the bathroom - it was smaller than most closets -, Morgan stepped out of the bathroom and immediately noticed Reid standing over the bed with a curious expression on his face.

"What's up?" he asked, joining him. Everything looked normal to him.

Reid wet his lips. "It's nothing. It's just.. there's ash here from a cigarette," he said, pointing out the small circle of dark ash staining the sheets. "I know it might sound weird but.." Reid lifted his head, gazing at Morgan. "What if our unsub is unhappy with being a smoker and he's taking it out on these men?"

"Really?" Morgan deadpanned. It wasn't like he didn't respect and trust Reid, but would someone really kill over something so trivial? "But if he hates smoking so much, why doesn't he just quit?"

Reid touched his arm, his fingertips grazing his skin. Morgan suddenly felt like an idiot.

"I'll call JJ and Hotch."

* * *

 

"Now that would be weird - killing someone over smoking." Garcia commented with JJ on the other end.

JJ nodded then remembered the woman couldn't see her and spoke. "We need you to check any messages the men sent and received before they went missing. Let us know if anything stands out."

"Of course, bumblebee," Garcia singsonged. "I'll call you as soon as I've got something."

The call ended with a click and JJ placed her phone back in her pocket.

* * *

 

When Hotch got the call, he was still with the family of the first victim. He, of course, didn't question the possibility or doubt it. Anything was a possibility when working with murderers, he knew that. He put his phone away and sat back down on the couch near Rossi, who had since started up a conversation about Dale's reputation.

"Ma'am," he said, interrupting the conversation and staring at Dale's mother. "Did Dale smoke?"

She paused, wiped at her eyes with a tissue, then nodded. "He just stopped a few months ago. Decided it wasn't worth the money and risks anymore." She sniffled, settling her gaze on the floor. "I was... I was so proud of him."

Rossi reached over and patted her hand with a reassuring smile. "Thank you for talking with us. I know it must be hard."

"Of course," she replied with a sad smile. "I would never want someone else to go through the same pain I have."

* * *

 

The next stop was the second victim's family. He'd been recently divorced and had a young daughter unlike the previous.

The daughter was being watched over by her aunt for now, who'd rushed from Mississippi the minute she heard the devastating news.

Hotch knocked on the door and as soon as it opened asked "can we speak with you about Kenny?"

The woman patted the little girl's back. "Go on, Missy, go play." She smiled up at the woman with a blinding smile and ran off. Once she was gone, she invited the agents inside. "I'm sorry it's a mess," she sighed, cleaning some boxes off the couch. "I just had my stuff delivered... I'm going to be staying here a while at least until Missy graduates elementary school." She sat down in a chair across from the couch. "I don't want to take her away from her friends at such a delicate age."

Hotch nodded, taking a seat on the plush couch. "Was Kenny close with Missy?"

"Of course," she replied. "Since Missy's mother left, Kenny has been so good to her."

Hotch nodded again, glancing at Rossi out of the corner of his eye.

The older man cleared his throat. "Did Kenny smoke?"

Confused, the woman slowly nodded. "Well.. He did but he quit a few months ago. How is that important?"

"It will help us understand why the unsub picked the men he did."

Missy came barreling back into the living room, holding a toy, her eyes wide and cheerful. She didn't understand what was happening. She didn't understand anything. Hotch forced a smile and she happily returned it.

* * *

 

Garcia called JJ an hour later. "Boy, do I have some interesting stuff for you." JJ could hear Garcia as she clicked away at her keyboard. "Each man was contacted by the same woman a day before they disappeared, but that's not what got my attention." She paused, building up the anticipation. "The woman asked each of the men the same question."

JJ adjusted herself, resting the phone between her ear and shoulder.

"Are you okay with dating someone who smokes?"

JJ blinked. "And what did the men say?"

Garcia breathed out. "Not the right answer apparently. Each said they hated smoking and she blew up about it, starting cussing and just being way too aggressive for my liking."

"What kind of stuff did she say?" JJ pushed.

"Stuff like "you traitor" and "you can't hate what you once did"."

JJ closed her eyes. Great. "I think we might have a new suspect. What's her name?"

"Laura Jones."

* * *

 

Morgan kicked down the door. As soon as it was out of the way, he entered followed by the local police and the other BAU agents. Laura Jones; a woman in her thirties who's last boyfriend left her when she wouldn't give up smoking for him. She didn't fit their profile entirely - they had assumed it was a man judging by the strength needed to subdue three fit males - but otherwise she was certainly a good suspect.

"Clear," Hotch called after entering her bedroom.

"I hear something in the basement," JJ shouted. She waited for the others before opening the door.

Morgan pushed past her. "Let me handle it." He walked down the steps, not at all surprised when he saw Laura standing at the bottom. His eyes skimmed the room, his stomach dropping when he saw Josh's limp body on the ground. He was damp, his chest still. Morgan clenched his teeth.

"Laura Jones, put your hands up," he started, pointing his gun at her. "You are under arrest for the murder of three men."

* * *

 

Once she was confined in handcuffs, she was led out by local police and placed in the backseat of a police car. An ambulance was called for Josh, but sadly enough it was already too late. He was dead. It was a victory but also a loss. They had stopped a dangerous woman from being on the streets but at the cost of another man's life.

"I guess we should head back for now," Hotch started as he stepped outside with the other agents following closely behind him. "We'll fly home in the morning."

He turned, glancing at them, and immediately knew something was wrong. They were missing someone. "Where's Reid?"

* * *

 

Reid had missed the entirety of the commotion and was still searching upstairs when he heard Morgan's voice echoing from downstairs.

"Reid," he called. "Come on, kid, we're going back."

The sentence itself and the calmness of Morgan's voice meant they'd found her. Reid relaxed. "I'll - "

He was abruptly cut off as a sharp pain erupted through the back of his head and his vision went blurry. Reid reached out and placed his hand on the wall, a weak attempt at steadying himself. ".... Wh... " Reid turned his head, groaning at the discomfort caused by the simple action, and felt his body go rigid with fear when he saw the source of his pain.

A large plank of wood covered with blood was discarded on the floor.

"Who..."

"Pleasure meeting you, Reid," a man's voice filled his ears as his vision went entirely black.

Before he lost consciousness, he tried once last time. "Morg - "


	3. Outcome

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty short, sorry about that! The next chapter will hopefully be longer.

Morgan stood at the bottom of the stairs, his foot tapping impatiently. What was taking Reid so long?

"Is everything okay?" JJ asked, appearing next to him with a worried expression. "Where's Reid?"

He glanced at her with a toothy smile, not wanting to cause unnecessary distress. Surely Reid just hadn't heard him - it _was_ a large house. "Nah, everything's fine. Just gotta go manually retrieve him, I guess," he said with a heavy sigh as he started up the long staircase.

JJ's expression showed she wasn't buying it but regardless she stayed put and waited.

"Hey, Reid," Morgan shouted once he'd reached the top of the staircase, peering around for any sign of the genius. The hallway looked empty, almost completely untouched. Morgan took his foot off the top step and began searching the hallway, glancing into each room he passed. "Come on, kid, this is no time for - "

He heard a startling creak come from the last room on the left, the door swaying.

Furrowing his brows, Morgan paused. "Reid?"

When there was no reply, Morgan reached for his gun. "Who's there?" he asked, lifting the gun up and readying it for fire. He took a few more hesitant steps, approaching the door slowly. Once he'd reached it, he paused upon realizing it was a bathroom - an empty bathroom.

The door shifted again and he jumped back, aiming his gun at it. 

For a few seconds Morgan stayed perfectly still, waiting - expecting - some kind of attack. When nothing happened, he reached out and pulled the door closed. Behind it wasn't a person, but a small plank of wood that had been leaning against the door for support. Morgan lowered his gun. Why would a piece of wood be here?

He examined it closer, his heart jumping. And why would it be covered in blood?

"Morgan?"

Morgan heard JJ calling for him. "In here," he responded, still in shock at what he'd found.

"Did you find Reid?" JJ asked as she entered the small bathroom, their shoulders brushing from lack of space. When he didn't speak or say a word, she curiously followed his line of vision and gasped upon seeing the bloody mess of wood. "What happened?" She leaned down, staring at the piece of wood so intently it was as if she thought it might give her the answer.

It all suddenly made sense. Morgan reached out, a bit unsteady on his feet, and grabbed the sink for support. "Reid - he's missing."

* * *

"How do you know the wood has something to do with Reid?" Hotch asked, standing in the hallway as a few officers escorted the piece of wood out in a bag. They were going to have it tested as soon as possible and see if the blood matched the missing doctor. 

Morgan stood next to him, eyes blank as he stared at the floor. "I just _know_ , Hotch. Something isn't right."

"Maybe - " JJ began in an attempt to help the lighten the situation but quickly went silent. There were no excuses; how could a grown man just vanish like that unless some form of foul play was involved?

An officer poked his head out of the bathroom. "You guys might want to see this."

Morgan entered the bathroom first and immediately began looking around, searching for any possible clues. The officer promptly cleared his throat once everyone had filed into the tiny room, gaining Morgan's attention. "When we were looking for more evidence I just happened to bump into the shower curtain and I saw... something."

His eyes flashed with a mix of emotions - none of them being good.

Slowly he reached up, pulling the shower curtain out of the way. The tub had blood splattered about it - not too much but enough that JJ had to look away for a moment and regain herself. But Morgan was distracted by something else; a small damp piece of paper near the drain. The ink had been smudged some but he could still make out the simple message.

_You really care for him, don't you, Derek dearest?_

Hotch closed his eyes, turning away from the scene. Just like he'd feared, Morgan's stalker had made a move.

JJ peeked back at the scene, her stomach gurgling at the sight.

"That son of a bitch! " Morgan exclaimed, slamming his fist down on the side of the sink, pain ripping through his hand. "If he wants me, why would he go after Reid?"

The officer excused himself, pushing past JJ, feeling the tension in the air and not wanting to be a part of it.

"You know stalkers have a tendency to go after the people nearest their targets and not the targets directly," Hotch exclaimed. He knew that much too well. "Not at first, at least."

Morgan snapped, his voice cracking with emotion. "I'm going to kill the bastard - just wait til I get my hands on him!"

* * *

 When Garcia was told the news, she stifled a sob.

JJ knew how she felt. She comforted her female friend for a bit before addressing the reason she'd called. "Hotch wants you down here as soon as possible. We'll need your help catching this guy." 

"I understand," Garcia replied, rubbing at her eyes roughly, not wanting to cry. "I'll see you soon."

JJ gave a small smile as the call ended. "She said she'll be here soon," she mumbled, turning and facing the crowd surrounding the table. Rossi had since been informed of the news and was sitting quietly at the end of the table. Morgan was staring at the table, lost in thought, and Hotch was peering at the board.

It was filled with photos of Jone's house. 

"I don't get it," Morgan finally said, burying his face in his hands, making his next words muffled. "I should've heard if something happened to him." He felt his eyelashes brush against the skin of his hands as he blinked. "I was standing just a few steps away from him. I could've - "

JJ walked over, placing a hand on his back. "Don't do that. Reid wouldn't want you to blame yourself."

"What can we do?" he asked, lifting his head up. "There's no clues or hints that'll help us so far. Jones said she was living alone and we have no reason to believe otherwise. The pictures we got aren't helping much and there's no telling what that sick bastard might be doing with Reid."

Hotch finally looked away from the photos. "If the stalker snatched Reid so he could use him to get to you, there's a good chance he's still alive."

He had a point. There would be no benefit in just slaughtering Reid. 

"But that doesn't mean he's not going through pain - " Morgan clenched his jaw, whispering the last part " - because of me."

* * *

Reid woke with a pounding headache. He sat up, his movements slow and timid, and looked around. He was in a small room seemingly made of stone. Probably a basement, he realized, as he peered at his wrists and ankles. He had no restraints on him, which surely meant the door had to be locked.

He tossed his legs over the edge of the bed, shivering as his feet touched the cold stone, and shakily stood up. He seemed to be fine for the most part - discarding the throbbing headache. 

Approaching the door, he tried pulling at the handle. It creaked but stayed firmly closed.

"Great," he mumbled, having hoped he'd have luck on his side for once. 

Suddenly the door opened without warning, nearly colliding with his face. Reid barely got out of the way, his breathing erratic and uneven. If the door had collided with his face at the speed it was opened his nose probably would've broke. Realizing that gave him goosebumps.

His kidnapper entered the room with a tray of food that smelled like hospital leftovers. Reid fought making a face at the foul smell. It wasn't something he wanted to put in his mouth.

"Eat," the man said, stuffing the tray into Reid's chest, who despite not wanting it grabbed it before it could fall. "You need your strength."

Reid swallowed, glancing down at the food he'd been given. He quickly noticed the pill sticking out of what he assumed was mashed potatoes. He was trying to _drug_ him. That wasn't going to happen. Reid tightly grasped the tray. "I'm not hungry," he replied in a small voice.

Before he could even consider defending himself, Reid felt the handle of a knife being jabbed into his side. He knew he was lucky it wasn't the blade but that didn't stop the pain from erupting through his side and stomach. He let out a pained gasp and the kidnapper pointed at the food on the tray with a satisfied smile. "Eat."

Reid tightly closed his lips and nodded.

* * *

 "The note wasn't written by the unsub," Garcia stated upon her arrival, all eyes on her for any possible clues. She immediately began setting up her laptop. "It was written by Reid."

Morgan reached across the table and grabbed the bag that held the evidence. Now that she mentioned it, the handwriting was familiar. "Are you sure?"

"Positive, honey," she continued, tapping away on her laptop. "I knew the minute I saw it but just to be sure I compared the note with the last known thing Reid wrote at the office and it matched."

JJ glanced over Morgan's shoulders, rereading the note with pursed lips. She was obviously lost in thought. "So he was forced to write it..." She glanced away from the note and settled her gaze on Hotch, who was sitting next to Rossi. He had gotten food for the group but so far nobody had felt like eating. "But why?"

"He's so scared we'll find him he doesn't even want us to have his handwriting," Morgan replied before Hotch could, clicking his tongue with apparent distaste at the realization. "Talk about a damn coward."

Garcia suddenly stopped typing. She avoided looking directly at the group as she spoke. "Also the test came back..." She saw Morgan go stiff and it made her heart ache. While the answer was already obvious, it was like having it verified by a professional would prove this was all real and not just some horrible dream. "The blood found on the wood belonged to Reid."


End file.
